Environmental, Social, and Governance / Our Community

Our Community

Discovery is a purpose-driven company that is dedicated to doing well by doing good. We leverage our platforms, resources, and passionate employees to make an impact in our communities and with our key nonprofit partners.

  • Social Good

  • We have a department dedicated to global social good that develops consumer and employee-facing initiatives and campaigns. We leverage our platforms, brands, reach, and employee base to make an impact in our communities and with our key nonprofit partners around the world. We have corporate partnerships moving the needle on childhood hunger, inequality, and wildlife preservation. Our employee-facing initiatives include a “dollars for doers” program and sponsoring Impact Day, a global day of employee volunteerism that gives back to the communities where we live and work around the world. We are also committed to using our voice to advocate for action around the issues of our time that are important to our customers, affiliates and employees. In furtherance of this objective, we support various causes and organizations that promote equity and social mobility, and have committed to a social justice project entitled Making an Exoneree where Discovery employees have the opportunity to help reinvestigate potential wrongful conviction cases and raise awareness.
  • Consumer Campaigns

  • RISE: RISE (Reducing Inequality and Supporting Empowerment) connects our audiences with opportunities to turn compassion into impact, with trusted non-profit partners who specialize in alleviating hunger, protecting the planet, supporting equity, responding to disasters and providing the resources people need to thrive. In 2021, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, through RISE, Discovery partnered with UNICEF USA to help deliver 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for frontline healthcare workers and vulnerable populations. Global and local Discovery offices also partnered with Save the Children and since 2019 have helped impact over 6M with food donations, hygiene kits for refugees, and educational resources for children learning at home.

  • Turn Up! Fight Hunger: Turn Up! Fight Hunger is Discovery’s partnership with No Kid Hungry to help end childhood hunger in the U.S. We reach audiences through our television brands, providing tools that enable consumers to Turn Up and fight hunger through donations, activism, and a set of advocacy tools to give kids access to the food they need now and effect policy change for generations. In 2020 and 2021, as the pandemic closed schools, leaving millions of children without the healthy school meals they depend on, Discovery and No Kid Hungry joined forces through a combination of emergency grants, strategic assistance, advocacy, and awareness to help provide 1 billion meals during the crisis.

  • Project C.A.T.: Project C.A.T. is our partnership with WWF to support a global effort to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022. This collaboration aims to ensure a healthy habitat for future generations of tigers by helping conserve nearly six million acres of protected land across three countries.

  • Civic Engagement: During the U.S. election season Discovery is committed to using our platforms to provide our audiences with the tools they need to make their voices heard. During the 2020 U.S. presidential election, OWN launched OWN Your Vote, a bi-partisan, pro-social campaign of actions and events for and with Black women, connecting them to urgent political actions, giving their concerns a powerful microphone and placing a spotlight on key community issues. Discovery also launched a consumer campaign to provide our audiences with the resources and tools to check voter registration status, learn about candidates and elected officials, and find election information in their state so they could make a voting plan. Discovery provided employees with similar resources and paid time off to vote and serve as poll workers in the November 2020 presidential election. In 2021, Discovery partnered with Discovery Education on three Virtual Field Trips (VFTs). The First VFT in January 2021, “I Do Solemnly Swear: The U.S. Presidential Inauguration” gave students behind-the-scenes access to the rich history and tradition of the inauguration of the President of the United States. The second VFT in May 2021, “The City of U.S.” sent students on a virtual tour of Washington D.C.’s many historic landmarks. The third VFT held in October 2021, “Voices of U.S. – Why We Serve” helped teachers and students around the world learn about the importance of service through a celebration of Veterans Day. Discovery also created content that was broadcasted during President Biden’s virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, helping shine a light on the fight for climate action, as well as at the virtual Summit for Democracy, emphasizing the importance of commitment to democratic values.

  • TVN & TVN Foundation: TVN, the leading broadcaster in Poland and owned by Discovery, is deeply committed to bringing about positive change and supporting communities in need. Not only do we support various causes and partner with numerous charities on an ongoing basis through TVN, the TVN Foundation launched in 2001. To date, the TVN Foundation has raised over $70 million in aid to improve the lives and health of Polish people in need, providing help to almost over 26,000 people. An area of particular focus for the Foundation has always been treating and rehabilitating sick children. The TVN Foundation carries out renovations and improvements to medical facilities across the country as well as purchases ambulances and medical equipment. In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, TVN doubled down and undertook many initiatives such as donating almost $2 million to help with coronavirus testing at hospitals and other institutions, giving free advertising to small business owners, and hosting charity concerts. In 2021, the TVN Foundation began construction of the Psychiatry Clinic for Children and Youth within the largest children’s hospital in Poland – the Children’s Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw.

  • United Nations and Other UN Entities: In 2015, world leaders meeting at the United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a call to action by all countries, for the world to achieve a more equitable and sustainable future by 2030. Discovery supports the SDGs through a variety of efforts and has raised awareness of these goals through a global PSA featuring the UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Discovery and the United Nations Environment Programme also have a partnership which focuses on raising awareness and inspiring global action on the illegal trade in wildlife, through the UN Wild for Life campaign, and broader biodiversity narratives. As part of Project C.A.T., Discovery unveiled a large-scale bronze tiger statue created by acclaimed artist Sonny Behan at the United Nations building in New York to celebrate tigers and raise awareness for endangered species ahead of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. In 2021, Eurosport Events, part of Discovery, joined the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework’s Sports for Climate Action initiative and has committed to achieving and supporting global climate goals.

  • Employee-Facing Initiatives

  • Employee Wallet: The Employee Wallet Program is a virtual “wallet” and the one-stop-shop for all of Discovery’s employee Social Good initiatives.

  • Dollars for Doers: Dollars for Doers rewards global employees’ personal volunteer efforts by crediting funds in their wallet for every hour of volunteer service with a qualified organization that they can donate to the charity of their choice.

  • Emergency Impact Matching Campaign: In response to select disasters and crises, Discovery launches our Emergency Impact Matching Campaign and matches global employee donations through the Employee Wallet.

  • ALL RISE: Mentorship initiative that facilitates mentorship and career development opportunities for Discovery employees with underrepresented students and communities around the world. ALL RISE is recognized by the National Corporate Mentoring Honor Roll, a program launched by First Lady Michelle Obama in 2011.

  • Service Anniversary Program: To recognize global employees’ service to the Company, for every 5 years at the Company we add funds to employees’ wallets that they can donate to the causes they care about most.

  • New Employee Welcome: All new employees globally receive a pre-filled wallet when they join the Company.

  • #GivingTuesday Holiday Giving: On #GivingTuesday, to kick off the holiday season in a way true to our purpose-driven culture, global employees receive funds in their wallet.

  • Impact Day: Impact Day is Discovery’s global day of employee volunteerism that gives back to the communities where we live and work around the world.

  • Discovery Impact: Building a Difference: A partnership with Habitat for Humanity that brings together employees, on-air talent, government officials, and other key partners to build homes. In 2019, we brought over 100 people to Nashville, TN for a 3-day build that began construction on 3 homes as part of Habitat’s Carter Work Project to help combat the affordable housing crisis.

  • Say Yes to the Prom: An initiative that gives 1,000 underserved and deserving high school students across 5 cities nationwide the perfect prom look. Employee dress and suit drives across our U.S. offices accompany the program, and employees in select cities are recruited to volunteer for the in-person events.

  • Adopt-a-Family: A holiday initiative whereby employees “adopt” deserving families or children from their local community and make their holiday wishes come true.

  • Updated: 01/19/2022